Program News (American Home - Vladimir, Russia)

[Johnson, David Matthew]

Dear Russian Language Professors, Teachers, and Students,

On behalf of the American Home (Serendipity-Russia) in Vladimir, Russia, I would like to remind you about two program deadlines and share information about an exciting Russian language study abroad opportunity.

1) ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK IN RUSSIA – Application Deadline October 15, 2011
In Vladimir – Help fix-up the Vladimir Youth Health and Education Center (VYHEC), work with at-risk Russian children, teenagers, and handicapped children, participate in youth club activities.  In Murom –  Work with Russian law students at the Murom Institute to improve their English skills, participate in mock trials, and share your personal understanding of Western legal systems.

2) INTENSIVE RUSSIAN PROGRAM – 25-30% discounts for those participating in small groups of people with similar language skills.
Program costs:                     one-to-one instruction                       group instruction (3+ people)
4 weeks                                                 $3,436                                                   $2,248
6 weeks                                                 $4,625                                                   $3,047
8 weeks                                                 $5,815                                                   $3,869

The benefits of the American Home's long-standing Intensive Russian Program – the main program offers one-to-one instruction to each participant – will be provided to group participants:

·               experienced faculty specializing in teaching Russian to non-native speakers;
·               program customized to the needs of each group of students;
·               flexible scheduling;
·               individual home-stay with a Russian family;
·               “Russian friend-conversation partner” program;
·               on-site administrative support;
·               well-equipped classrooms in a comfortable, home-like, atmosphere;
·               excursions in Vladimir and to Suzdal (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Bogoliubovo;
·               opportunities to meet and socialize with some of the more than 400 Russians participating in the American Home English Program and others;
·               opportunities to participate in a variety of activities—for example, volunteering at an orphanage

We hope to make the Intensive Russian Program more accessible to a broader audience and provide professors and teachers opportunities to send entire groups to Vladimir for intensive customized instruction in the Russian language.

3) TEACHING POSITIONS – American English Program
Applications for teaching positions for the 2012-2013 academic year in the American English Program are due March 1, 2012.

If you have questions about the American Home's Intensive Russian, Alternative Spring Break, American English Programs or any other aspect of the American Home's work, please do not hesitate to contact me (david.matthew.johnson at vanderbilt.edu).  For more information about the American Home, please visit www.serendipity-russia.com.

I hope that we will have the privilege to work with you and your students in Vladimir!

Sincerely,

David Johnson
Coordinator, Intensive Russian Program, American Home (Vladimir, Russia), www.serendipity-russia.com<http://www.serendipity-russia.com/>
Lecturer in Russian, Vanderbilt University, david.matthew.johnson at vanderbilt.edu<mailto:david.matthew.johnson at vanderbilt.edu>
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COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE AMERICAN HOME
“What you've done is truly incredible. The excitement and positive energy that we witnessed was something that I'd rarely seen before. You deserve hearty congratulations!” (US Embassy Official, visiting the AH (2010)).

"I'm a big supporter of the American Home in Vladimir; You have been doing such an amazing job for so many years!" (Professor Maia Solovieva, Faculty-in-Residence, Lecturer in Russian, Oberlin College).

“I am extremely impressed by all that I have learned about the program: the educational opportunities..., the enthusiasm of the participants, the careful planning the American Home staff puts into each participant's experience. In the post-Soviet period there are many opportunities for Americans in Russia; I find the Serendipity program one of the most exciting” (Dr. Judith E. Kalb, Russian Program, University of South Carolina).

“Vladimir offers a real opportunity to immerse yourself in Russian language and culture. Such immersion can be very frightening at first, and that is why...the American Home is such a plus. Here I am given the opportunity to work with Russians in an atmosphere that is very familiar, fostering, and comfortable. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to experience Russia for what it really is...” (Matt Plischke, Miami University (Ohio)).

“Not only have the staff at the American Home helped facilitate my travel, they also have offered kindness and hospitality. They are truly wonderful. I don't know what we would have done without them!” (Wendy Woith, PhD, RN).

“The AH has a superb staff and an excellent reputation in the community” (Momar Ndiaye, Director, Office of International Studies, Illinois State University).

“Galina and the [rest of the staff] made a profound impression with their efficiency and helpfulness. If only everyone we worked with on [our] trips was as reliable and efficient as [the AH] staff” (Diane Ignashev, Professor of Russian, Carlton College).

“You have a fantastic program here. This is cooperation at its finest, and the skills and respect that you are giving your students is invaluable” (Patrick Buzzard, NASA, US Embassy, Moscow).

“Vladimir and the American Home are ideally situated. Vladimir is a part of Russia's famed Golden Ring, and the American Home lies in the heart of downtown Vladimir. Here, you have all the advantages of Russian city life, but with all the charm of the nearby dachas. The American Home really is the meeting and mixing point for two cultures. The longer I stay, the more I discover how much Vladimir has to offer me” (Erika Boeckler, University of Wisconsin at Madison).

“Every night when I come home from work I’m greeted enthusiastically by my 15-year-old host brother, Pasha. After dinner we drink tea, and Pasha usually launches into one of his favorite conversation topics and doesn’t stop for quite some time. Living in Vladimir...has provided a rich assortment of unique experiences that I know I wouldn’t have encountered elsewhere” (Joanna Greenlee, Gordon College, Wenham, MA).

Thanks to the people who have worked so hard and who remain committed to its success, the reputation that the American Home has earned with the people of Vladimir has to represent one of the most successful relationships any American organization has developed anywhere in Russia. –Karen Hasara, former state legislator and former mayor of Springfield, Illinois

“The American Home is easily the single most influential American presence in [Russia] outside Moscow and St. Petersburg” (Dr. Nils H. Wessel, Professor of Government, Emeritus, US Coast Guard Academy).

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